1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a program information display apparatus, and more particularly relates to a program information display apparatus for receiving program data of digital broadcasting and displaying program in-depth information created on the basis of the received program data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, a program of TV broadcasting has been selected with reference to the program contents (program name, summary or cast) shown in the program guide of a newspaper or a TV program magazine. Recently, along with the popularization of data broadcasting of digital broadcasting or the Internet, program data has been provided from broadcasting stations. In concert therewith, program information display apparatus for creating a program guide called EPG (Electronic Program Guide) based on the program data and displaying the created program guide on a screen has been included in TV sets or digital broadcasting receivers.
A typical program guide created by such a program information display apparatus has a configuration similar to that of a program guide in a newspaper or a TV program magazine, including information such as a broadcasting station name, a channel number, a program name, an air time, an out time, etc. By use of the displayed program guide and a remote controller, a user can also do setting such as selection of a program to be viewed or programming the timer.
In addition, the program information display apparatus is equipped with functions capable of creating program information in various forms as well as the function of creating a typical program guide using program data. One of those functions is a function of creating and displaying program in-depth information for each program shown in the program guide.
The program in-depth information can be displayed via the program guide in the program information display apparatus in the related art. First, when a user pushes an EPG button provided in the remote controller and for displaying the program guide, the program guide is displayed on the screen.
The user operates the remote controller to scroll the program guide and select a program whose program in-depth information should be displayed. Then, as soon as the user pushes a program detail button for displaying the program in-depth information, the screen is changed over from the program guide to a program in-depth information screen. Through this screen display, the user can view the program in-depth information (a broadcasting channel, a service number, a program name, an air time, an out time, a program category, cast, program contents, etc.) of the selected program.
Then, when the user wants to see the program in-depth information of another program after checking the displayed program in-depth information, the user makes a predetermined operation on the remote controller so as to display the program guide again, scroll the program guide and select a program whose program in-depth information should be displayed. Then, when the user pushes the program detail button, the program in-depth information of the other program can be displayed.
To display the program in-depth information of a further other program, an operation similar to the aforementioned operation is carried out to return once from the program in-depth information screen to the program guide screen. Next, a program whose program in-depth information should be displayed is selected, and the program detail button is pushed. If such an operation is repeated, the program in-depth information of a further other program can be displayed.
As described above, according to the program information display apparatus in the related art, the user has to return the display to the program guide screen whenever the user wants to change over the display from the program in-depth information of one program to the program in-depth information of another program. Therefore, an operation of switching to the program guide screen, an operation of scrolling for selecting a desired program on the program guide screen, and other operations, are required. Thus, there is a problem that it takes a lot of labor for carrying out an operation of selecting a program, and the program in-depth information cannot be displayed easily with a reduced number of operations.